Car bomb explodes in central Baghdad, killing at least 13

PUBLISHED Mon, May 29, 2017 - 5:38pm EDT

Credit: Al Arabiya

A car bomb has exploded near an ice cream parlor in central Baghdad, killing at least 13 people and injuring dozens more, witnesses and local officials say. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility. (more)

The incident happened at 12:08 a.m. local time on Tuesday when a large blast occurred near a popular ice cream parlor in the capital's Karrada district. It was busy in the area and many vehicles were passing by.

Photos and video from the scene showed large fires burning at the scene and multiple vehicles which were destroyed. A security official said at least 13 people had been killed and nearly 50 others have been injured, some of them seriously.

The Islamic State group (ISIS) has claimed responsibility.

Many people were out late at night as Muslims mark the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. A massive truck bombing happened in Karrada during the Ramadan last year, killing at least 323 people and injuring hundreds more.

"ISIS terrorists tonight in Baghdad target children and families enjoying time together at an ice cream stop. We stand with Iraq against this evil," said Brett McGurk, the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for the international coalition against ISIS.

We're working to gather more information.

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